I Thought She Was Ordinary, I Only Saw Her Body

Sex and Celebrity Advocacy in Nigerian Popular Culture

Bibliographic Data

ID2173245
AuthorsRosemary Popoola (0000-0002-3967-3857, Political Science and International Relations, Covenant University, Canaanland, Ota, Nigeria, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume33
Issue4
Pages441-455
Publication date2021-10-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of African Cultural Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1369-6815 • E-ISSN: 1469-9346
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13696815.2020.1762169
OpenAlexW3033229085
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited15

The twenty-first century ushered in a new era in African popular culture. Hip hop, a popular genre of musical expression, which borrowed extensively from Western and African idioms and iconography of power and social relations, took a decisive turn. The themes and narratives of twenty-first century African hip hop mirror similar global forms in their conception and glorification of fandom, stardom, commodification and sexualization of women’s bodies, violence, and superfluous display of wealth. In this article, I examine some of the rare instances in which Nigerian male hip hop artists have used their talent and poetic license to call attention of the public to the economic and socio-political disenfranchisement of women. This article goes beyond a content analysis of the songs to underscore how core transformations in Nigeria’s democratic process since 1999, when civil rule was reintroduced, have shaped the circumstances under which hip hop artists rethink their sexualization and commodification of women’s bodies

Advertising · Art · Business · Media studies · Popular culture · Sociology · African history and culture studies · Caribbean history, culture, and politics · Gender Studies · Music History and Culture

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